Last night, I tried to explain to my Dad what a carbon footprint is. Consequently, the environmental issues are still on my mind today which is why I was drawn to a story in the Irish Examiner about saving our Christmas trees.

If you celebrate Christmas, you probably partake in the tradition of buying a fresh pine tree each December to decorate in the spirit of the holiday. Come January, there’s a half dead (or maybe completely deteriorated) tree in your sitting room and you’re not exactly sure what to do with it now that you’ve committed tree murder.  If you’re in Ireland then landscaper Finbarr O’Mahoney has the answer for you. O’Mahoney will sell you a seven-foot Christmas tree for €35 this holiday season. The deal is that if you keep the tree alive (you know, properly water it and talk to it once in a while) then his garden center will purchase the tree back from you for €10 in January, so that you save money and do something nice for our planet.  Your old Christmas tree will then be replanted in a garden or even used for another holiday celebration the following year.

I think this is such a terrific idea. Last year while I was living in Germany, I purchased a potted Christmas tree in the hopes of keeping a live tree in my home throughout the year and then using it again the following Christmas. Unfortunately, I wasn’t exactly able to keep the tree alive (I was traveling a lot, I swear) and it died and then sat sadly on my apartment balcony for I think around eight months. If I didn’t have an artificial Christmas tree this year, I really would try to redeem myself and keep a tree alive to be replanted or used again like O’Mahoney is suggesting.

Source; Flickr Photo Credit: Wonderlane

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